Woman's Work
by Admiral
Summary: Stranded and alone, Samantha Carter must solve the mysteries of an alien civilization and defend herself against a relentless foe. Rating for graphic violence. R&R...if you dare!


**Disclaimer: **Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. Based on characters created by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

**Author's Notes:** I know, I know, you're waiting for me to finish other stuff! I'm just putting this on to let everyone know I'm still alive. This story takes place before the events in _The Return of Ra. _It's long but it's complete.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Woman's Work**

  
  


**by Darrin A. Colbourne**

  
  
  
  


"Chevron Six, Encoded!"

The sound and rumble of the Stargate spinning through the symbols on its face was like music to Major Samantha Carter's ears. Every time it stopped to lock another image into the control computer, the loud _Chunk-Chung! _that accompanied the movements of the 'Gate's mechanisms brought her one step closer to another great adventure.

She thought of all her experiences as a member of the SGC as great adventures, no matter how many crises, disasters or life-and-death situations they led to. There was a time when she thought that her involvement with trying to make the Stargate work at all would be the extent of her contact with the alien device and all that its activation promised. Now, she was doing what other people only dreamed of: Exploring other worlds, extending Humanity's reach into the Universe, and proving once and for all that our people were not alone, not a fluke of creation. Of course, not all of Humanity's neighbors in the galaxy were friendly, but that risk came with the job, and just added to the excitement.

_Chunk-Chung!_ Carter had just enough time to note that the top stylus had framed the symbol for Earth and begun to glow as she heard: "Chevron Seven, Locked!"

A second later, the Stargate erupted in its customary explosion of energy, then receded to form the shimmering wall of light that was the event horizon. It was time to go.

Taking the lead as usual, Colonel Jack O'Neill walked up the ramp. He pointed into the 'Gate with a flourish and, with his best John Wayne impression, said: "Company . . . Hey-_Oh!_"

Carter and Daniel Jackson chuckled. Teal'c merely remained impassive as they all followed, but he understood that it was another example of O'Neill's sarcastic sense of humor.

O'Neill broke the plane first, his body disappearing into the event horizon and causing ripples in the energy wall. Jackson went next, and Carter walked in a second later, not seeing but knowing Teal'c was right behind her. As the 'Gate room disappeared and was replaced in her field of vision by the swirling and dancing lights of the wormhole, Carter felt content.

SG-1 was headed for another adventure.

  
  
  
  


Carter came out of the wormhole and trotted onto the platform mounted by P4X-452's 'Gate. She immediately looked around to get her bearings. The Stargate was in a structure lit by torches. She couldn't be sure, but the architecture seemed like ancient Greek to her. She turned to get Daniel's opinion.

That was the moment she realized he wasn't there.

She kept looking around. None of her teammates had come through with her. Somehow, she had ended up on the planet alone.

She spun around to look at the Stargate, just before the wormhole closed and the shimmering light it gave off disappeared.

  
  
  
  


General George Hammond had been watching SG-1's departure from the briefing room. Satisfied that they'd gotten off without a hitch, he turned away to prepare for the return of SG-4. His attention was drawn back to the gate instantly.

"Incoming Traveler! Unscheduled 'Gate Activation!"

Hammond watched in dread as the styluses around the 'Gate lit up one by one, wondering why no one had closed the iris yet. He moved to the intercom. "Close the iris!" He ordered.

"We tried, sir!" A controller answered. "The iris isn't responding!"

Hammond looked out again as the last stylus lit up and the wormhole opened. A security team was already set up in a perimeter around the ramp. Everyone tensed as three figures emerged, then relaxed as soon as they realized who the figures were.

Colonel O'Neill, Daniel Jackson and Teal'c looked around as they walked the platform, sporting stunned looks on their faces. "What the hell is going on?!" O'Neill barked.

Jackson, still confused, looked around some more, then said: "Jack . . . where's Sam?"

As one, the men of SG-1 turned to the Stargate. Instead of their teammate, they saw only the wormhole closing, and their mood became as dark as the room had become.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


With only the flicker of firelight to see by, Carter tried to figure out what was going on. _Okay_, she thought. _The four of us went through the 'Gate together. Only I came out. What happened?_

She walked around the now-inactive Stargate, looking at it, behind it and through it, trying to find some mechanism that might account for the disappearance of her teammates. It was no use. The device looked like a perfectly normal--if anything could be _normal_ about it--Stargate.

Questions and theories formed unbidden in her mind. Could the 'Gate have malfunctioned in some way? If so, what kind of malfunction could be so selective, losing three travelers but not the fourth? And why this particular fourth? Why Her? No, it had to be deliberate. Somehow, someone had managed to make sure that only she exited the Stargate. _So where are the guys?_ She wondered. Were they dead? Transported to some other world? She had to know, and the answers were locked up somewhere in the device.

_So let's try a simple test_, Carter thought. She looked around the large hall, marveling again at the tall pillars that held up the structure. They had artwork etched into the bases and tops, Greek images and symbols in ornate patterns. They were beautiful, but not what she was looking for. She concentrated on the floor around the Stargate, nearby and as far as she could see in the light. She was stunned. There was no Dial Home Device to be seen.

Her plan had been to try to get back to Earth, but she couldn't do it without a controller. She wasn't strong enough by herself to turn the Stargate by hand, and even if she could, there was no guarantee that it was still powered. At least with the DHD all she had to do was enter the address and see if the device moved.

She shouldered her weapon and walked off the platform. Her intention was to go over the structure with a fine-toothed comb, in the hope that she would find some way to control the Stargate. Carter only got about thirty feet away when she heard it.

_Kachung!_

She turned back slowly. As she expected, one of the styluses had lit up. _Kachung!_ Then another.

Carter brought her weapon up and drew a bead at the center of the Stargate as she moved for the cover of the nearest pillar. It could be SG-1, or any SG team. Sure. Until she saw humans in Air Force fatigues walk through the event horizon, she'd keep her submachine gun ready. She just made it behind the pillar when she heard a sixth _Kachung_, then she tried to be as skinny as possible, bringing up the barrel of her weapon. Controlling the sound of her breathing wasn't a problem. She had already _stopped _breathing.

_Please, let it be SG-1!_ She thought. _Please, PLEASE, let it be SG-1!_

"Jaffa, _KREE!_"

_D'Oh!_

She took a quiet breath and composed herself. She had to know what she was up against. Keeping as much of her body as possible behind the pillar, Carter leaned slightly to her left and turned her head until she could see about half the Stargate in her peripheral vision. There was some movement there as well. Carter shifted a little more and could see the new arrival clearly.

The figure was tall, incredibly built, armored. The helmet was articulated and molded into the head of a hawk, which moved around as the head inside shifted back and forth. The small sensor panels on each side were spread wide. And, of course, the armored figure had a staff weapon, held at the ready.

Carter watched as the Horus Guard looked around in confusion. Obviously he'd been leading a group of Jaffa when he went through his Stargate. His attention was on the Stargate when Carter finally ducked back behind the pillar.

She could only guess what was happening next from what she heard. There was a sharp _clack_, and Carter assumed that his staff weapon was ready to fire. Then she heard the metallic thump of the Jaffa's boots as he walked slowly off the platform. The footsteps were getting closer, and as they did she could hear the Jaffa's augmented voice as he barked phrases in ancient Egyptian. Carter didn't have to be another Daniel to realize that, just like her, the Horus Guard wanted answers. He was just being more direct in his approach.

Carter couldn't just stand there forever. If the Jaffa got the drop on her, she was history. She would have to go on the attack, strike first and hope to disable the Jaffa enough to get out of the structure. She hated having to do it, but she knew the man behind the bird-mask would have no compunctions about finishing her.

She took one more breath, braced herself and prepared to jump into the open . . . 

  
  
  
  


"Chevron Seven, Locked!"

It was the third time that the address for P4X-452 had been entered into the computer. It was the third time O'Neill held his breath as he watched the symbol for Earth light up in the Stargate.

For the third time, nothing happened.

Hammond glowered at the technician running the control room. "I don't know what it is, sir." The young Lieutenant said in his defense. "We've run every diagnostic we know. The 'Gate just won't open."

"Do you think anything might be wrong with the device itself?" Hammond asked, keeping his voice level.

"That will take longer to figure out, General."

"Then you'd better get started, hadn't you?"

"Yes, sir!" The technician started barking orders, and soon a technical team was on its way to the Gate Room. Meanwhile, O'Neill approached Hammond.

"Sir, we may not have time for a full check on the Stargate. If this is the work of an enemy, a Gould trick of some kind, then Carter could be in serious trouble! We have got to get to that world and see if she's there and if she's safe."

"Teal'c," Hammond said, "does this look like anything the Gould would be capable of doing?"

Teal'c always found it interesting the way his human companions continued to mispronounce the name of their most dangerous enemy. Perhaps it gave them the necessary courage to face the "Children of the Gods" in battle. "If this is the result of some Goa'uld tactic, General Hammond, then it is one that I have never seen them use before."

Hammond turned back to O'Neill. "We have to know if there's something wrong with the device before we do anything else. If the control systems _and _the Stargate are in working order, then we have an even bigger problem to deal with. Then we will be sure that some outside force is tampering with the equipment, rendering it out of our control. If that's the case, then whether it's the Gould or some other enemy we have to get control again before we can let _any _of our people go through. I know you're all worried about Major Carter. I am too, but this takes priority. Let them do their check on the Stargate."

Hammond's speech had a note of finality to it. O'Neill took the hint and said nothing else, but frowned as he watched the technical team begin to swarm around the Stargate.

_Hang in there, Sam!_ He thought. _We're comin'!_

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The Jaffa was making slow, steady progress through the hall, intent on reaching the exit and searching for signs of whomever or whatever had prevented his platoon from exiting the _Chapaa'aii_ with him. It had never occurred to him that the device might have malfunctioned. Nothing that was used by the Gods could _ever _fail. In fact, it would not have surprised him if he were to learn that the Goa'uld had done this to test his courage. Even better. He would face whatever challenge awaited him on this world and return to his master in glory.

Just as the Jaffa came to this decision, Carter rushed out from behind the pillar with her gun aimed right at the Horus Guard's chest. He reacted just as she'd hoped. He stood straight up in surprise, leaving his torso exposed. The armor might stop most of the bullets, but even if it stopped them all he'd go down and stay down long enough for her to get away. Fully committed, she pulled the trigger and held it down.

Nothing happened.

She tried it again. Still nothing, except the hollow click associated with an empty gun. Then she heard muffled laughter coming from the bird's-head helmet as the Jaffa aimed his staff weapon.

"Oh, sh-" She muttered. The Jaffa pressed the contact on his weapon before she could finish.

He was just as astounded as she was when nothing happened. The Horus Guard looked down at the weapon, and after a moment touched the back of his helmet. It folded down and away with a whirring sound, allowing him a closer look with his own eyes. Carter took the opportunity to check her own weapon. She took out the clip, then looked inside it. It was empty. She knew it had been full when she walked through the 'Gate, but now it was empty. The Jaffa was having a similar problem. His staff's power source had disappeared.

They looked up at each other simultaneously. Carter made one last effort to salvage the situation. "I know you're a little confused. So am I. Maybe if we worked together--"

The Jaffa bellowed with rage in response, and suddenly the head of the staff weapon was swinging down toward her head. She swung up her weapon in an attempt to block it, and the two devices made a clattering sound as they crashed together. For the first second or two, holding the staff weapon back was no problem, but then Carter was pressed down. The metal of the gun strained and her knees bent under the strength of the Horus Guard's powerful arms. She gritted her teeth and fought the pain developing in her arms and back, hoping she could hold out long enough to think of a way to beat her attacker.

  
  
  
  


"This is taking too long." O'Neill muttered to Jackson. He was watching as the technical team meticulously examined the Stargate. All he could think of was the infinite number of disasters that might have befallen his teammate. It seemed that none of their missions ever went off without a hitch, and those hitches more often than not led to having alien weapons pointed in their faces, being trapped in ancient prisons, being stung by bizarre insects and infected with paranatural viruses, so on and so on. That they survived them all was a very pleasant surprise, but O'Neill knew that the reason why they survived was simple: All four of them took a hand in seeing the mission through. Now, one of them was left to survive by herself, and it galled O'Neill that nobody else-including himself-could do anything about it.

"Can we try putting in another address?" Jackson asked. "I mean, try to get to another Stargate and get back to the world from that one? One that whoever or whatever it is that's been blocking us _doesn't_ control?"

"We didn't try that," one of the control room people said, "but we ran a few simulations and the results seem to indicate that we're blocked only when we try to dial in P4X-452."

Hammond looked around. The technical people all seemed to be willing to try. "Let's do it." He said.

The Control Room officer made announcements to get the technicians away from the 'Gate. O'Neill, Teal'c and Jackson, still in their gear, ran out of the Control Room and headed to the 'Gate Room.

The techs had speed-dialed an address in. "We're sending you to Cimmeria!" Hammond said over the PA, announcing the arbitrary choice of destination for the test.

SG-1 held its collective breath as the Stargate went through the motions, not taking their eyes off the device until the last stylus closed and lit up.

"Yes!!" O'Neill called out when the gate opened. The three ran up the ramp with weapons at the ready . . . 

...and had to skid to a stop as the iris closed in their faces.

"Oh, Come on!!" O'Neill yelled as he looked up into the control room.

Hammond was at a loss. He turned to the Lieutenant next to him, and saw the look on _his_ face, and realized how much trouble they were really in.

  
  
  
  


"Screw this!" Carter growled through her teeth. Instead of trying to stand back up, she ducked down. The Jaffa followed through with his swing, and Carter lunged one way as the staff weapon swung another. She rolled out of the way and came up running. She raced down the long hall with the Horus Guard right on her heels. Carter had only one mission now: Survival!

She tossed aside the empty clip in her hand and reached for one of the spares on her web belt, checking it on the run. Empty. Tossing that one aside as well, she decided to keep the gun anyway, figuring it would at least make a useful club.

Suddenly she reached the end of the hall and rejoiced to see a door. If she could get outside and put some space between herself and her pursuer . . . 

The door was closed. She searched around for some way to open it, then felt the world spin in conjunction with a sharp pain in the back of her head. Carter managed to stay conscious, but felt a strong hand grasp her neck, then felt her feet leave the ground as her back slammed into the door. In desperation she swung her gun up stock first at the Jaffa's head, only to hear the metal clatter against the bird's-head helmet. A sweep from the Horus Guard's free hand knocked the gun out of her grasp.

The armored hand tightened around her throat. Carter grabbed the attacker's arm, trying hard to wrench it from its grip. The Horus Guard merely muttered curses in his Egyptian dialect.

Finally she realized a way out. She kept her arms wrapped tight around the Jaffa's, using the leverage to swing herself up. Her steel-toed boot connected hard with the unprotected part of the Jaffa's shoulder. The pain made him growl and loosen his grip. Carter twisted her neck and let herself drop to her hands and knees, falling free of the Jaffa's hand. She swept her leg out, knocking the Jaffa off his feet. She retrieved her gun as he fell, then slammed her foot down on his chest to make sure he couldn't rise immediately. She slammed the butt of the weapon again and again into the face of the bird's-head, until after an impact it folded open. Before it disappeared completely, Carter slammed the gun into the Horus Guard's face. With a grunt, he closed his eyes and fell unconscious.

When he was down for the count, Carter tossed aside her submachine gun and the empty clips for it. She drew her sidearm, checked that and its clips, and on seeing they were also empty tossed them aside as well. She was gratified to note that her knife was still in the sheath attached to her boot. From now on, her hand-to-hand weapons would be the most useful.

Then she searched the Horus Guard. Finding his zat gun, she flipped it open and tried to fire it at him. Nothing happened. She tossed that aside, but confiscated the staff weapon, deciding it was the best martial combat weapon in their combined arsenal. Carter had to try to remember fighting with this type of weapon in her combat training. Taking one last look at the Horus Guard, she went back to the door.

There hadn't been time for her to notice it before, but there was a control panel of a sort. It was the first indication the world was inhabited, by a fairly advanced civilization. _So where are they?_ Carter thought. She concentrated on the control panel. The lights on the panel flashed in and out of existence in a random fashion. They were contact controls, she was sure, but there was no way to figure out how they worked by trial and error. The dancing lights were all colors of the spectrum and didn't appear to be forming any discernable patterns.

On closer inspection she saw something promising. Three geometric shapes--a circle, a triangle and a square, the most basic--kept popping up randomly in the dancing lights, never together, never in the same sequence, and not in all the lights. _Okay_, she thought, _this is a puzzle of some sort. I have to figure it out to open the door._

Carter kept a close watch on the lights. She assumed that she had to press the lights with the geometric shapes in the proper order. So which order? She took a guess. The puzzle would be a test of her reflexes as well. It took her three tries to tap a light with a circle. The light stayed lit and in place. The same thing happened with a light bearing the triangle four more tries later. She managed to catch the square in one try.

There was a gratifying hiss as the door opened onto the bright day outside. Carter smiled at her triumph, then rushed out. She was shocked when the door closed immediately behind her, but was relieved to see a similar control panel on the outside. At least she could attempt to get back in when she needed to. Then she remembered who else was in there and was glad for the barrier between them.

Carter walked around the structure, realizing that although it had only one level, it was much bigger than she'd first thought. It was Greek or Roman in design, held up by numerous pillars. She had come out of the door at one end, assuming it was the rear because of what she saw at the other end.

There was a huge portico at the other end, similar in structure to the entrance to the Lincoln Memorial. Instead of the President, there were two huge statues of warriors in ancient armor. Carter noted that they were both female warriors, wondering at the oddity. The one thing she didn't wonder at was what they were guarding. Mounted in the wall behind and between them was a full-scale sculpture of the Stargate.

"So this is their SGC." Carter thought out loud. But who were "they"? And why hadn't they made their presence known, either when she came out of the 'Gate or when the Horus Guard did? It was time she got some answers. She wouldn't try to get back in the way she left, at least not immediately. She began looking for a way in through the portico entrance, finding nothing, not even one of the puzzle panels.

Dejected, she took a look around at her surroundings. The structure was at the top of a steep hill, which was surrounded by forested land. There was a path down the hill and into the forest. Carter hoped that it led to civilization. Noticing how hot it seemed, she took off her pack and her jacket, which she tied around her waist. She stuffed her ballcap into the pack, took out a spare canteen, then hauled the pack back onto her shoulders. She grabbed up her confiscated staff weapon, then set off down the path.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The Horus Guard awoke in a haze of blinding pain, centered right between his eyes. He grabbed his head and shook most of it off, trying to figure out what had put him in this state in the first place. As he sat upright, he felt blood running out of his nose along with a sharp pain. With a grunt he was jolted fully awake, and he realized what had happened.

"_Tau'Ri . . . "_ he grumbled, menacingly.

His first thought was to grab his staff weapon, but it was nowhere to be found. A quick search for his _zat'n'ktel_ turned it up, but like the staff its power source was missing. Enraged, he thought to take the human's weapons, but seeing them lain scattered all over the floor made him realize that he'd find them just as useless as she had.

He wished the gods would tell him why they had left him in such a situation. If they had meant to challenge him that was fine, but to be so thoroughly . . . embarrassed by that Tau'Ri bitch was beyond the pale. He had to kill her now, had to regain his honor and erase the memory of his defeat at her hands.

The Jaffa made himself stand, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. He flexed his powerful arms, then looked around. The woman did not appear to be hiding anywhere in the hall, so she must have found a way out. The Jaffa decided he would find that way as well.

He was still near the door where he had caught up to her. There seemed to be no way to open it. The control panel was a hopeless mish-mosh of color. He tried touching a few contacts, but when nothing happened he slammed his fist into it in a rage.

The Horus Guard walked back toward the Stargate intent on finding a different way out. He kept a steady pace, letting his eyes miss nothing in the walls, ceiling or floor. He began to despair as he passed the gate without finding anything. The wall at the other end of the chamber looked completely bare, but he intended to examine it anyway.

His stride was brutally broken by a force field, which he slammed into at a march. He cursed at the new pain this had caused him and was about to slam the invisible barrier with his arms when a noise attracted his gaze to the ceiling.

A panel had opened above him, revealing transport rings.

He suddenly despaired at not being First Prime to his god. Then he would have a ring controller on his gauntlet. He needn't have worried. Just as the Jaffa was trying to decide what to do next, the familiar loud whine and ratcheting sound filled his ears as the transport rings lowered around him. He was a little anxious as he was bathed in light, but mainly excited that he would no longer be trapped in the chamber which was disappearing around him . . . 

...then awestruck as he found himself standing on the roof of the structure. The scenery was beautiful. The field of green grass surrounding the structure was beautifully manicured. The trees in the surrounding forest were lush and full. The air was as clean as on any world he could think of. It would be a wonderful world for his Goa'uld master to rule, especially when he took control of the lowly creatures that had built this structure.

Then, the most beautiful sight of all came to him. Halfway down the path, his prey was making her way into the forest.

He took note of the heat in the air and removed the bulk of his armor. If he was going to fight the woman hand-to-hand, there was no point in wearing himself out. Now down to armored shoulder-harness, boots and gauntlets, as well as his chain mail tunic and kilt, it was time to issue the challenge. In his strongest voice, he bellowed at her:

_"TAU'RI, KREE!!"_

Samantha Carter stopped cold. She couldn't possibly have heard what she thought she had. She turned slowly and looked up the path. Standing on the roof of the structure was the Horus Guard.

He didn't stay there. He ran to the edge of the structure, then leaped off of it, landing hard but gracefully on the ground, cushioning the impact by bending his powerful legs at the knees. Then he set himself and broke into a sprint worthy of the best Olympians on Earth. Carter watched in awe as the muscles of the Jaffa carried him right toward her at breakneck speed.

She didn't watch long. _You didn't hit him hard enough, Sam!_ She scolded herself as she sprinted into her own run _away _from the approaching warrior.__ She managed to keep her distance until she disappeared, breathing hard, into the forest below. Carter weaved through the trees, trying hard to get lost among them. The canopy was so thick it blocked out the bright sun. The Major welcomed the cool and shade. She hoped the cover would help hide her from the Horus Guard. She deliberately strayed from the path, not wanting to make it easy for her pursuer to track her.

Carter paused for a moment. She had heard something. Someone was sobbing nearby. She moved toward the noise, grateful that it wasn't leading her back to the path, but wary about what else it might lead her to. She approached the sound carefully, slowly, always looking out for her pursuer.

Soon she reached a small clearing. In the center of it stood a young woman, dressed in long flowing robes. She was sobbing profusely, overcome with despair and frustration. Carter immediately took pity and tried to talk to her.

"Hello," Carter said. That got her attention. She looked up at Carter with her face streaked with tears and her eyes red from the tearing. She managed to stop crying for a moment, and the Major could swear that, for a split second, there was a glimmer of hope in the native's eyes.

Carter approached slowly as she continued to speak. "Hello. My name is Samantha Carter. I come from a place called Earth. Maybe we can help each other . . . "

As she spoke, she ran smack into a wall of air. She stretched her arm out in front of her and felt an invisible barrier press against her hand. Her new friend was trapped in a force field.

The woman started to speak as she tried to figure out the barrier. Her language was something akin to Greek, but it was a dialect so strange that Carter barely recognized it as such. Again she wished Daniel were with her to translate as she tried communicating with the woman.

"I can't understand you." Carter said, shaking her head and gesturing. The woman seemed to understand. She walked around the little clearing, tapping at the invisible barrier, letting Carter know that it went all the way around. After that, she picked something up from the center of the clearing, a silvery disc with an unnatural shine to it. Then she began to communicate with Carter with mime and gesture. From what the Major could tell, the woman had been walking through the forest when she happened upon the disc. She picked it up and it emitted some bright light. When it had dimmed, she was trapped in the field.

"If I could get my hands on that thing, maybe I could figure out how it works." She said, to no one in particular. She was thinking out loud, but to a purpose. Free the woman, get the device and use it to trap the Jaffa. It was a great plan, but it all hinged on getting a device that had trapped itself inside an unbreakable barrier along with its first victim. Time was working against her as well. Every second she spent wondering the Horus Guard was getting closer.

The prisoner could see the look of worry on Carter's face, and became despondent again. Bowing her head, she absent-mindedly brushed some dirt off the disc. It must have set something off in the mechanism. The light flashed again for an instant, causing her to drop it, and when it faded the field was alive with colors, all over, just like the control panel in the alien 'Gate room. There were even images in these colored patches, but different from before.

_Another puzzle_, Carter thought. It was like she was being tested.

She didn't have long to contemplate this. Through the dancing lights she saw her friend's eyes go wide at something behind her, then saw her point and scream. That was a second before she felt four blades slash across her shoulder, lacerating her back and ripping off one of the straps of her pack. It fell and dangled off of her as she screamed in pain. She spun around, knowing what she'd see behind her, and felt cold metal slam into her cheek. Blood spurted out of her mouth and she spun again with the momentum. Before she could turn again, she felt a hammer blow against her wounded shoulder and she was slammed into the force field. Carter used this to her advantage, rolling along the field out of the way before the Jaffa could connect with her head, his gauntlet instead crashing into the barrier.

She was still holding the staff weapon. She pushed herself off the field and gave herself some room, slinging the pack off of her other shoulder. Carter now grabbed the staff with both hands and began swinging and whirling it to keep the Jaffa at bay. It didn't work. With a howl he charged again, but this time flew right into the arc of the swinging muzzle's path. Now it was his turn to spit blood as Carter's first blow struck home, followed by several more blows to the sides and face, along with several jabs into the X-shaped pouch that protected the Jaffa's larval Goa'uld. Carter was frantic to put this menace down, because as long as the Horus Guard was bent on killing her she'd never find a way off this world. Besides, working Stargate or not, she wasn't in a hurry to die today!

One more thrust to the pouch forced the Horus Guard's body into the force field, but he decided to take back the advantage, as well as his weapon. He grabbed the end of the staff that dug into him and growled through his teeth as he pushed it slowly away from his body, against Carter's motion. She knew she wouldn't be strong enough to stop him when he made his move to take it, so she moved first. Throwing her whole body into the movement, she twisted the staff, pulling it free from the Jaffa's grip and swinging it around once more. At the end of the arc, it connected with the alien's head and slammed it into the force field. That worked. The Jaffa stood dazed for a moment, then slumped to his knees. Another shot to the head felled him to the ground.

"And _stay_ down!" Carter rasped, spitting blood as she spoke. She was breathing heavily and her face and arms ached. She noticed the blood on the clawlike extensions on the Jaffa's right gauntlet as she felt the searing pain of the slash wounds on her shoulder-blade. The fight had taken everything she had, and she realized she'd be hard pressed to survive another one. But what would she do with him? If she didn't want to kill him outright--and now that the adrenalin rush had died off, she didn't--then she needed a way to immobilize him. Her thoughts turned back to the force field.

Carter wiped the blood off her mouth and turned to examine the field again. It was still flashing the colors and designs. She looked closely. This time the designs seemed to be pieces of one image. Carter started tapping colors with designs on them. After several minutes, she had finally frozen all the puzzle pieces in the air in front of her. Reasoning that they must be movable so that she could reassemble them into their proper positions, she touched one and held it, moving it to one she thought it might connect to, then repeated the action with another. She was working as quickly as possible. At any moment the Horus Guard could wake up and ruin her day all over again.

As she worked, she finally began to see the pattern emerge. The complete image was a silhouette of a humanoid figure. The more pieces she put in place she saw that it was a silhouette of a woman warrior similar to the ones guarding the Stargate statue. It seemed to take forever, but when she moved the last two pieces into place the image disappeared. Carter passed her hand through the space where it had been. The force field was down.

  
  


The prisoner looked around, realizing what Carter had just done. With a grin and a squeal she ran headlong into the Major and caught her in a bear hug, making Carter wince with pain as the woman's arms pressed into her wounds. Finally Carter managed to extricate herself, then gestured for the woman to stay still while she planned her next move.

She walked over to the small disc-device and looked at it closely, being careful not to touch it with her foot or anything else. It didn't look like it had any overt control mechanisms. Curiosity was probably meant to lure the unsuspecting into its trap. It practically begged to be picked up and examined.

Then Carter walked over to the fallen Jaffa and looked him over. Working fast, she stripped him of his gauntlets and shoulder-harness, then hooked her arms under his. He was unbelievably heavy, but Carter managed to get him a few inches off the ground. Seeing her struggle, the native woman came to help and together they dragged the unconscious Horus Guard to the vicinity of the disc.

When they were close enough, Carter and the woman lifted and pushed the Jaffa into a sitting position, then Carter used her waning strength to hold him up. With chin gestures she got the woman to get her bag and the staff weapon and keep them back and well away.

"One, two, three!" She murmured, then let go of the Jaffa and sprinted out of the disc's range as the warrior's torso fell, impacting on the device. The light flashed and Carter just made it out of range as the force field solidified. She tapped on it to make sure it was solid then sighed in relief. It would be really bad if the Jaffa managed to puzzle his way out, but she hoped to be long gone before then. Then it occurred to the Major that there may be no way out from the inside, or else her friend might not have needed rescuing.

Carter went over to the woman and retrieved her things, dumping the gauntlets into her bag. Shouldering the bag by its intact strap, she decided on a course of action. "I need to find someone who knows about the Stargate," she thought out loud, then spoke to the woman. "Can you take me to your home? Is there someone there who can help me? I need to get back to my people."

The woman just stood there, confused, and Carter thought, _How do I make her understand?_ "Do you know anything about the Stargate? About the _Chapaa'aii_?" The Goa'uld word for the device didn't register either. She shook her head, but Carter was sure she did so because she simply couldn't understand her liberator's language.

That didn't stop the erstwhile captive from taking action. Taking Carter by the hand, she started off into the forest. Carter didn't know where she was being led, but anyplace was better than being in the vicinity when the Jaffa woke up, and she followed along without protest.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


"Why don't we just dismantle it!?" O'Neill raged. Hammond forced himself to remain calm, keeping his gaze on the technical team which had resumed its examination of the Stargate. In the time since their failed attempt to go through the 'Gate O'Neill had come dangerously close to insubordination several times. The General understood that the team leader was worried about one of his people, but losing their heads wasn't going to get her back.

"Colonel," he began, his tone patient but cautioning, "the iris is our only defense against a Stargate-borne attack. When we get control of the 'Gate again, we will want the iris intact. Reassembling it will be a long and complicated process and we will be vulnerable for the entire time. Whoever or whatever is controlling the 'Gate right now is simply trying to prevent us from using it. Dismantling the iris may cause them to take more drastic measures to keep us on Earth, and without a way to block the event horizon there would be no way for us to stop them. We are doing everything we can right now to solve this problem and until it _is_ solved, we have to be patient."

"And while we sit here playing with the thing Carter could be dying on that world!"

This time Hammond turned, but managed to keep his voice below a shout even though O'Neill could see the anger in his commanding officer's eyes. "Let's be honest, Colonel! She could be dead already, which means destroying our equipment and risking our lives won't do any good anyway! But we don't know that she's dead or dying, and going off half-cocked won't help us find out any sooner, so would you _please_ try to stay calm, be patient and let the technical people do their job!"

O'Neill and Hammond stared at each other for a moment, engaging in a battle of wills that O'Neill eventually conceded. He turned back to watch the activity in the 'Gate Room, complaining in his mind that the person who might be of the most help was the one they were trying to get to. He hated irony.

  
  
  
  


Again the Jaffa woke, his body a symphony of pain. Again he lamented the fact that he'd let the little Earth woman best him in combat. Again, he vowed to have his revenge and restore his honor. He forced himself to stand, realizing that his gauntlets were gone when he braced himself with his hands and felt nothing but dirt. He looked around as he brushed off his palms, trying to pick up the Tau'Ri's trail. When he thought he had it, he set off at a brisk walk.

The force field was a rude surprise when he slammed into it.

After a moment of pacing and feeling, he realized he was surrounded by the force field, just like the other woman he had seen before he attacked. There were no dancing lights now, but he must have been caught in the same trap.

This time he did scream, and he did pound the force field, letting his rage vent on the invisible energy. But soon his anger died, and he forced himself to consider the situation. A moment later he went to the center of the clearing, sat cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes.

He began to meditate, to commune with the Goa'uld larva inside of him. It would heal his wounds, and as he healed he would try to get a little something extra from the experience, maybe a little extra wisdom, maybe a little extra strength. Either way, he'd use that extra against his prey.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Carter consulted her watch. They had been walking for a little over an hour, Earth Time. Weariness was starting to affect her, and her wounds needed real medical attention, but her traveling companion seemed tireless. Wherever she was leading Carter, she must have thought it was important enough not to stop and rest. The Major hoped so. She hoped there was a doctor there. And a theoretical physicist. And a linguist.

_And while I'm dreaming, I'd like a pony_, she thought.

Maybe they were making some headway. The forest had thinned out as they walked and they cleared it completely about ten minutes before. They were now traversing a large, clear grassland, and from the downward slope Carter surmised that it was leading them to a valley. The native was walking a few feet ahead of Carter, striding purposefully to their destination.

Eventually her guide stopped and turned to beckon Carter closer. From what the Major could see the slope dropped off a few feet away from the woman's position. They had reached the valley and whatever lay within. As Carter got closer, she was amazed at what she saw. When she got to where the woman was standing, she was speechless.

The valley was huge, and contained within it was a fantastic city, with skyscrapers that rivaled those of some small cities on Earth. The architecture was advanced and artistic, as if Andrew Wyeth and Buckminster Fuller had pooled their talents to come up with a vision for a future Metropolis. She could see even from a distance that the streets were alive with all kinds of traffic, as the natives of this world went about their business. And standing guard above it all, set on the outskirts of the city like the mythical Colossus, was a warrior woman statue, similar to those guarding the Stargate. It stood at least as tall as the Statue of Liberty and dominated the scene with its presence.

Carter walked a little farther down the steep part of the grade to get a better look. She was thrilled. At best she had been expecting to encounter an advanced civilization, but thought it would be unreachable, like the Asgard or the "Builders of Roads", and that her friend's people were similar to Abydonians in development. But if these were her people--

"Is this your home?" She asked, her eagerness showing through. She turned to talk to the woman with a broad grin on her face . . . 

...which melted away when she saw that the woman was not right next to her. Carter turned back farther, and her blood ran cold as she saw what had happened.

Her friend was there, trembling in fear, her neck and head locked in the grip of the powerful arms of the Horus Guard. She was pulling frantically on his arms, trying to break free of them, but he merely grinned as he continued to hold her.

All in all, the Jaffa was quite pleased with himself. Not only had his meditation healed him, he got that something extra he wanted. Just as he was reaching his peak strength, he had concentrated all his life force and will on his arm. He had found the device, grasped it firmly in the palm of his hand, and with every last ounce of strength began to crush it. The device had started the puzzle again, but malfunctioned as the Jaffa applied more and more pressure. Finally it had buckled and gone dead, taking the puzzle with it. With an outstretched arm the Jaffa had found he was free, and had immediately resumed his pursuit. He had stalked the two unsuspecting women, following as close as he dared without them catching on, waiting for the opportunity to put the plan he'd formulated into action. The Tau'Ri's fascination with the native city had given it to him.

He saw her now, glaring at him, anger and fear on her face. She knew he had her. She wouldn't leave her new friend in jeopardy, and to save her, and herself, she had to face him. He knew she wouldn't understand his language, so with a gesture he motioned for her to get rid of the staff weapon.

Carter hesitated, but only for a moment. The Jaffa's muscles flexed around the woman's head, and with a snap he could take it off. She started to rest it nearby, but he gestured for her to get rid of it. She tossed it behind her, letting it fall down the grade into the valley. With another gesture, he ordered her to do the same with her backpack. As she took the pack off, Carter wondered if she could manage to use the knife at her ankle against him before he killed his hostage. He hadn't made her get rid of it yet. Maybe he didn't know she had it.

With his chin, he beckoned her closer. Carter walked back up the grade and got closer to him. He stepped aside and made her pass, then got between her and the valley. Now, to get to the city, find help, or at least get to her gear, she had to go through him. His smile grew wider. He tossed his hostage aside, then stood straight, arms loose at his sides, ready for battle.

Carter had few options, none of them very good. She could make a run for it back to the Stargate, but she still couldn't make it work, and she didn't have anything to slow her pursuer down so that she could make it there alive. Also, that would leave nothing to stop him from killing the woman, recovering his weapons and wreaking havoc in the city. She could grab her friend and try to get lost in the forest again, but that hadn't worked when she was alone, and there was still the problem of the Jaffa catching them. If buildings with doors that wouldn't open and force fields couldn't contain him, what else was there?

No. Her only recourse was to fight, and that came with its own set of problems. She was already wounded and hurting, had not yet recovered fully, and was tired from the day's activity. The Horus Guard, however, must have gone through that healing ritual that Teal'c used to cure what ailed him. He looked as if he'd just stepped into his corner in a boxing match, trained, fit, energetic and eager to do damage. If Carter were to have any chance, any chance at all, she had to go back to Plan A. Unfortunately, that had necessitated a gun, which hadn't worked when she needed it to. Now, she had only the knife to disable or kill him with, and there was even less chance of her succeeding with it.

They stood still for a moment, each combatant taking the other's measure, preparing for the clash mentally. Both of them agonized over whether to go on the offensive or the defensive. Carter came to the decision first.

She drew her knife and advanced with a scream, calling on all her unarmed combat training and attacking the Jaffa in a flurry of kicks and slashes, looking for or trying to create any opening that would allow her to sink the blade into her opponent. It wasn't working. The Jaffa parried every attack and gave her no window of opportunity. Without the staff weapon, without any weapon that increased her reach and strength, she was no match for him.

When he got tired of just defending himself, the Horus Guard made an opening of his own. He knocked the knife out of her hand and slammed his fist into Carter's gut. She gagged and groaned in pain, and would have double over had the assault stopped there, but then a series of hammer blows landed on her face, her head and her torso. Her eyes were beaten closed, two of her ribs were broken, she lost some teeth, and her bladder burst after a particularly nasty blow to the kidneys. For good measure he slammed his foot into her knee, shattering it. At the last, before she could fall to the ground, one final blow to the face sent her reeling, and she landed two feet away from where she'd been standing.

  
  


She tried to crawl away, tried to get into the forest, tried to do _anything_ but get up and face her opponent again, but he was standing over her in a few strides. He turned her over on her back and held her in place with his boot on her ribcage, causing her to cry out in agony. He reached down and picked up the fallen knife, holding it at the ready with a reverence usually reserved for his God. Through her barely open eyes, Carter could see him raise the weapon in both hands high above his head. Then, with a cry of rage and victory, he started to swing it down, in a path that would bury the blade in her heart.

Then her world was filled with rainbow light, and the weight on her chest disappeared with the sound of thunder. Confused, she managed to raise her head just enough to see that the Jaffa was gone, but she couldn't tell where he had gone to. Then she lowered her head again, and just before she passed out she saw the face of her friend hovering over her, accompanied by the faces of two other people. Her friend was talking to her soothingly, as she gave what sounded like orders to the others. _It's like they're _her_ Jaffa_, she thought, just before everything went black.

  
  
  
  


It had officially been a full day since they lost Major Carter. Since then, the Stargate had worked only once, allowing SG-4 to return safely. It had done so of its own volition, then immediately shut itself down and closed the iris. Having completed their diagnostic and finding nothing wrong with the 'Gate, the technical teams had been engaged in trying different types of circuitry and power bypasses to regain control of the device, without success. It became too much for some. General Hammond proceeded with his debrief of SG-4 and tried to get some work done. Daniel Jackson went to get some sleep in quarters on the base. Teal'c found a quiet corner of the control room to meditate.

Only Colonel O'Neill was keeping awake and alert for a sign of progress. He was now subsisting on coffee and willpower. His eyes only left the 'Gate when he rubbed the sleep from them. When they found a way to make the thing work, he intended to be through it before the echo of its opening faded.

He looked at the dregs of coffee in the cup he held in his hand. Time for a refill. He looked around at the control room coffee pot and saw that it was empty. He'd have to make more. He'd started over to the coffee pot when he heard it.

_Kachung!_

The officer on duty was on top of it. "Incoming Traveler!" He announced. "Unscheduled 'Gate Activation!"

The alarm went out all over the base. O'Neill's eyes were fixed on the Stargate as it went through its motions. No order came to close the iris. It was already closed, and it wasn't under the base's control anyway.

A security team was set up in the room by the time the seventh stylus lit up, and the customary boom of the opening wormhole sounded. As usual, all that could be seen with the iris closed was the reflection of shimmering light on the back wall, but that changed when, again on its own, the iris opened.

Teal'c was standing by O'Neill's side when the officer said: "Incoming transponder signal." He looked straight up at O'Neill. "It's SG-1."

"Let's get down there!" O'Neill said, already moving. Teal'c was right behind him, and Jackson met them as they entered the 'Gate room.

"Is it Sam?" He asked as they all watched the Stargate.

"Oh, I hope so." O'Neill said. "I'm getting too old for this."

Seconds later, a figure emerged from the Stargate. O'Neill's heart skipped a beat when he saw that it was Major Samantha Carter. He was about to cheer when he noticed that she was dressed . . . differently than when she left--and that she had brought friends home with her. Three other figures emerged from the 'Gate behind her, two of them rather tall and imposing.

When the Stargate closed, O'Neill got a good look at his teammate. "Major," he said, "good to see you alive and well. Um, you're kind of out of uniform, though."

Carter smiled at the comment, flashing her once-more intact teeth in her characteristic grin. "I know, sir. My uniform didn't fare well on my trip. Neither did I, really. I sort of . . . woke up like this."

"It's not a bad way to wake up." Jackson said, as neutrally as possible. Carter blushed anyway.

"Thank you, Daniel." She'd thought something similar when she regained consciousness and was led to a mirror to see her makeover. Not only had she been restored to good health and fitness, she'd been given the full beauty treatment. She was dressed in robes similar to the woman she'd freed from the force field, silky and flowing and colorful, and had been made up and her hair was styled, making her the rival of any Hollywood starlet. She was still pleased with her look, but slightly embarrassed by the way the men in the room were staring at her. "Um, I'll get changed before the debrief, sir."

"That's a good idea." O'Neill said, expecting the tale to be a very entertaining one. "So, who're your friends?"

"That's a good question." General Hammond said as he walked into the room.

"Well, I didn't get their names, but she helped me get back." Carter said, pointing to her friend, a young, rather attractive brunette. The stranger smiled and bowed at O'Neill and Hammond before their attention was drawn to Carter's other traveling companions. They were also women, but much taller and more muscular. They were armored like Greek soldiers, with ornately decorated breastplates made of gold over short robes, and golden gauntlets and high boots. Their weapons resembled complex mechanical bows, with a thin barrel and hydraulic rods where the arrow and string would go. "They . . . are with her," was all Carter could say to describe them. "Daniel, all the evidence points to them being of Greek descent, and their language sounds Greek but it doesn't sound anything like what I learned of it in college."

"Well, then I guess I'd better get to work. Great to see you back in one piece, Sam." Daniel said as he passed her on the ramp. He gave her shoulder a quick squeeze then began talking to the new arrivals in his best Greek. When he saw the confused look on their faces, he realized this would be tough to figure out.

"We're all glad to see you back, Major." General Hammond said. "Debrief is in one hour, and then we'll need your help to get the Stargate back in working order."

"I'm sure it's working fine, sir." Carter said. "You should see the technology they have hooked up to their 'Gate. I have a feeling that they've been controlling both devices all along."

"Then we'll discuss that at the debrief. Welcome back, Major." With that, the General departed.

Carter walked down the ramp and was met by Teal'c. "It is good to see you well, Major Carter."

Carter smiled wide at him. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you, Teal'c." She said. _I'll take a friendly Jaffa over a pissed-off one any day._ Teal'c bowed his head and smiled in response.

Finally she got to O'Neill. "I can't wait to hear this one." He said. "Are you okay? Really?"

"I'm fine, sir. Really. I'm a lot better than I was. I'll tell you all about it. I should really get changed."

"Right. Welcome back, Carter."

She smiled again, and then O'Neill watched as she walked out through the silo door.

  
  
  
  


"So after I was brought to their 'Gate control room under the temple they showed me their dialing system." Carter said, coming to the end of her story. "They had to build their own at first, just like us, but this one must be the latest version. There are no terminals, no visible hardware, just massive floating displays. And I don't think they do anything simply. The control was like the one in the door and the force field. It took me five tries before I could enter in the symbols for Earth in the right sequence."

"But you managed to do it." O'Neill said.

"Sure. They even applauded me. Then my friends and I stepped through, and here we are."

"And you defeated a Horus Guard. Twice." Teal'c said. "I am impressed."

"Thank you, Teal'c, but I wasn't all that impressive in that last battle."

"If you would like, I will show you where and how to hit a Jaffa so that he will not get up again. Ever."

"Maybe later." She said with a chuckle. Teal'c responded with a nod.

"Was there any sign of Heru'ur or any other Gould?" General Hammond asked.

"No, sir, but that was probably because they were blocked from leaving the 'Gate the same way SG-1 was."

"And they took your sparring partner out with those bow-things of theirs?" O'Neill asked.

"Yes, sir. As near as I can tell, it works like a normal bow, but instead of an arrow, it fires an explosive blast of energy in one direction, like a staff weapon is not just a staff but a big gun as well."

"Can anyone join the party?" Daniel Jackson asked as he walked in, with Carter's friend in tow.

"Sit down, Dr. Jackson." Hammond said. "What have you got to report?"

"Well, I can understand why Sam couldn't make out their language. It's not just Greek. While there's a Hellenic basis to it, it's peppered with words and phrases of Turkish, Latin and Slavic origin, which makes sense considering what I've found out. They're Amazons."

Everyone looked on in silence, waiting for Jackson to clarify, and he realized that, once again, while the answer made perfect sense to him he had to let his friends in on the joke. "While the notion of a single Amazon nation is a myth, there is archaeological evidence that in ancient times areas of Southern and Eastern Europe were populated by nomadic tribes of women who hunted and fought for themselves, worshiped a mainly female pantheon and rejected the dominance of men in the progressing world. While historic record shows they existed, there really aren't any clues as to what happened to them. Now, it looks like they were gathered up and taken through the Stargate and left on Themyscira--that's their name for P4X-452--probably to be used as hosts for female Goulds. Who knows? It might have been where Hathor came from."

"There's a comforting thought." O'Neill said. "A whole planet full of Amazonian Hathors."

"Well, not really. You see, like on Earth and more recently on Abydos, the Themyscirans rebelled against their System Lord, but instead of burying their Stargate, they dedicated their society to learning about it and mastering it, so that they could prevent their enslavers from returning. The technology of the Stargate has pretty much been the basis of the advance of their civilization, which is why they're so far ahead of us. While we started from scratch, they jumped ahead to the advanced level. They destroyed the original DHD themselves so that if any Gould returned via the 'Gate before they'd figured it out, they'd be trapped on the world with no way to get home or signal for help."

"So they were the ones controlling our 'Gate." Hammond said.

"Yes, but there was no malicious intent. They only wanted to make sure that we didn't interfere with their plans for Sam."

"What plans were those?" Carter asked.

"Clytemnestra, your friend here, explained it all to me. After five thousand years of working on one of the greatest mysteries in the Universe, their civilization as a whole has become sort of...addicted to puzzle solving in general. They jump at any chance to unlock a secret or figure out a new invention or alien device. They've developed into a sort of cult of intelligence, and they value education and problem solving above anything else, so that when someone new comes through the gate, they like to make sure of what level of intelligence they're dealing with. They're knowledge of and control over the Stargate is so complete that they can track and isolate the newcomers they find promising."

"So they found me promising?" Carter said.

"And not the rest of us?" O'Neill said, a little insulted.

"Well, you have to understand where they're coming from, Jack. Descending from tribes of women who had shunned male influence in their lives they'd naturally assume that women were the backbone of any civilization. That's why you were isolated, Sam. They wanted to see how you solved the puzzles they were going to set up for you. The original series of tests was going to be benign, meant only to test your mind, but when they detected the Jaffa coming through they decided to let one through and see how you reacted to him. When they saw that you were enemies they decided to observe how you fought."

"You mean they were watching me the whole time?" Carter asked.

"Yes, mainly Clytemnestra. It was her job to set up the tests. Her team was going to set them up in your path as you set about trying to find a way to control the 'Gate."

"But I found her trapped in a force field."

"Apparently she came up with that one on the fly, after you confronted the Horus Guard the first time. It was to test your compassion and charity, to see if you would stop to help someone in need while you were lost and your life was in danger."

"But how would she have known that my life would be endangered again after my first fight unless . . . ?" She came to a realization and looked directly at Clytemnestra. "_You_ let him out of the temple!"

"That's right." Jackson said. "They've managed to modify a set of transport rings to appear wherever they want, so they transported the Horus Guard to a part of the roof where he'd see you after Clytemnestra transported to the spot where you found her and trapped herself in the field. She said she apologizes for endangering you in that way, but that her protectors were following the Jaffa the whole time and wouldn't have let him kill either of you."

"Which is why they showed up when he caught us at the valley. Did they let him out of the force field too?"

"Well, that was unintentional. They didn't think anyone could be strong enough to break the disc device. She's promised that they'll find a way to make it more durable."

"Okay, Daniel," O'Neill said, "what is she exactly? Their leader, their shamaness?"

"Actually, her title roughly translates into 'Taskmaster'. She's an educator, which in their society is roughly equivalent to a bishop or duke, and when she's not on duty as a tester in their SGC she's responsible for the education of all the children in her city-state."

"Children? They manage to have children without men?"

"Yeah. I asked about that. She basically told me it was a long story for another time."

"All right," Hammond said, "bottom line. What does all this mean as far as opening up relations between Earth and their world?"

"Well, Clytemnestra has offered to share their knowledge of the Stargate technology with us, as well as anything else we might ask for, and they're willing to negotiate an alliance with us against the Gould, provided that Sam handles the negotiations for Earth."

"Me? Why me?" Carter said.

"You really impressed them, Sam. You're smart, you're compassionate and they loved that you were so willing to take on the Horus Guard even after they had deactivated all your weapons. They think you're a perfect representative for the women of this world, and for them, that's enough."

"Oh." Carter said, smiling. She was obviously pleased with herself. O'Neill just groaned.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Clytemnestra had insisted on dialing in the address for Themyscira herself, without any instruction on how to use the SGC control boards. After a moment's study, she dialed in the address with no problem on the first try, and through Jackson offered to show the technician how to increase the available memory of the system without a significant increase in power usage. With that, one of her protectors beamed a signal through the open 'Gate, and it was time to leave.

SG-1 and the Themyscirans gathered on the ramp behind Major Samantha Carter. She looked back to make sure everyone was ready, then pointed into the open Stargate with a flourish and, in her best John Wayne impression, said: "Company . . . Hey-_Oh!_"

Carter heard chuckles behind her, as well as O'Neill's voice saying: "I don't actually sound that idiotic, do I?" She smiled as she stepped through the event horizon.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Final Note: **I originally posted this on a Stargate-SG1 fanfic site but I wasn't crazy about how the posted version turned out (Text format kills _everything!_) andI never got any feedback on it. I figured I'd post it here and see if it got a better reaction.

Interestingly, I recently went back to the site and found that someone had written an NC-17 slash fic using many of the same themes in this story. I'm _pretty_ sure that he simply referenced the same source material I did, but on _his_ Themyscira some of the technology is based on shiny disks. _Hmmmm . . . _


End file.
